Vacuum parts holder

ABSTRACT

A flat surfaced vacuum holding member, is adjustably mounted to be held adjacent the stationary die of a forming machine. A series of openings located on the flat surface communicate with a source of a vacuum. Also disclosed is a block in combination with the vacuum holder for positioning small parts.

United States Patent [1 1 Westby 1 VACUUM PARTS HOLDER Marlyn A. Westby, Edmonds Wash.

[73] Assignee: The Boeing Company, Seattle.

Wash.

[22 Filed: Nov. 2, 1973 211 Appl.1 1o.:4l2,366

[75] Inventor:

[52] US. Cl. 72/38; 72/419; 269/21; 83/276 [51] Int. Cl B21b 9/00 [58] Field of Search 279/3; 269/21, 291; 72/38, 72/419; 83/276 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,643,563 6/1953 Gaudreau 269/873 1 May 20, 1975 2684.855 7/1954 Wales 279/3 2,782,574 2/1957 Copold t l 269/21 $711,082 1/1973 Seidenfaden 269/21 Primary Evumt'ner-C. W. Lanham Assistant E.\-uminerRobert M. Rogers Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Morris Av Case; Glenn Orlob [5 7] ABSTRACT A flat surfaced vacuum holding member, is adjustably mounted to be held adjacent the stationary die of a forming machine. A series of openings located on the flat surface communicate with a source of a vacuum. Also disclosed is a block in combination with the vacuum holder for positioning small parts.

17 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures 1 VACUUM PARTS HOLDER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Forming machines such as a press brake utilize a pair of matching dies to form partspoperators of forming machines are often required to hold a part to be formed in a position that requires the operators hands to be placed dangerously close to the forming dies. This is particularly true when a small or a narrow part is being formed. It is known to use various handheld devices with a pistol grip for controlling suction to a flexible suction cup out on the end ofa wand for picking up and holding a piece to be formed. This is tiring for the operator and it is difficult toproperly position the held part. It is also known to provide a plane surface with a continuous marginal groove having a depressible flexible gasket mounted therein and a plurality of shallow interconnected channels inside the groove boundaries. A

vacuum pulls the part against the gasket. See US. Pat.

No. 2,443,987. It was discovered a simple structure will vacuum hold parts. A structure that is especially useful for holding small parts; without the operators hands being near the dies during forming.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 shows a fragmented perspective view of a forming machine with a vacuum held parts holder mounted to the machine.

FIG. 2 shows a fragmented end elevational view of the dies part holder of FIG. 1 with a held part.

FIG. 3 shows a fragmented end elevational view as in FIG. 2 with a pusher block positioning a narrow part to be formed.

FIG. 4 shows a fragmented view of the held part of FIG. 3 being formed.

FIG. 5 shows a fragmented plan view of a T-shaped holding member with an angled part positioned for forming.

FIG. 6 shows a fragmented end elevational view of the holding member and part of, FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 shows a plan view of an alternate embodiment of the Tshaped holding member of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION A holding member 10 is mounted to a forming machine which in FIG. 1 is a brake press 12. The brake press has bed 14 to which is mounted a stationary die 16, which operates in conjunction wtih a matching movable die 18 to form parts between the dies. A blank part must be held in a position adjacent the stationary die and the moving die brought down to accomplish the forming. Usually an operator pushes the blank against the side 20 of a gauge 22 and holds the end of the blank while the part is being formed. In carrying out this invention the blank part is held by the holding member during the forming cycle. The holding member located adjacent the stationary die has a plate 24 with a plane or flat upper surface 26. In this embodiment a plurality of holes 28 through the plate are arranged parallel and normal with respect to the forming die. The holes communicate with a chamber 30 inside the holding member which in turn communicates through opening 32 with outlet fitting 34. A vacuum source 36 may be a vacuum pump; or as here it may be a vacuum transducer with air passing through a combination pressure regulator and gauge 38 thence through line 40 to an on-off control valve 42, thence through line 44 to the aspirator part 46 of the transducer where a venturi arrangement creates a vacuum. Line 48 communicates between the vacuum source and outlet fitting 34 on the holding member. On-off valve 50 would not be required for the set up shown, as valve 42 acts to control suction to the holding member. Valve 50 would be required to control vacuum to the holding member when using a constant source of vacuum.

Holding member 10 is fastened to plate 52 which in turn connects to shaft 54 to form an assembly that may be adjustably positioned. Adjustment is accomplished with a bracket 56 to which the shaft is slidably mounted. The bracket has a slot 58 between arms 60 and 62 which permits locking the shaft to the bracket when the arms are squeezed together. When the arms are loosened the shaft may be raised or lowered. Bolt 64 extends through the arms and has a tongue 66 on one end which mates with the dovetail groove 68 in the bed 14 of the machine. The groove may be in the machine as shown or it may be in the gauge holder bed which is fastened to the machine. When nut 70 is tightened the bracket is held securely to the machine. When the nut is loosened the bracket may be moved along the groove.

FIG. 7 shows the plan view of a T-shaped holding member 72, with a flat top surface 74, which has elongated laterally extending recesses 76, and longitudinally extending recesses 78 which interconnect at 80 where they cross each other and communicate'with an opening or passage 82 extending through the member which communicates with suction line 84. This holding member may be used thus to hold parts or it may be covered with a matching plate 86 which has a plurality of holes or openings 88 which are located to communicate with the recesses. The T-shape permits holding a partially formed angle shaped blank part 90 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

In operation the back gauge 22 is located to control the position of blank 92, see FIG. 2. The blank I is pressed against side 20 of the gauge and valve 42 is actuated to produce a vacuum which imparts a suction holding the blank against the holding member 10. The holding member holds the blank during the interval when the dies are brought together to form the part. The intensity of the vacuum may be varied to permit letting go of the blank during forming at just the right point with different blanks. When a blank part has a smaller area than the openings in the holding member the exposed recesses or holes may be covered. Small or narrow blanks are particularly dangerous to the operator, as it may be necessary for the blank to be held within a fraction of an inch from the dies. Such a blank part 94, see FIG. 3, may be handled with this invention by using a pusher block 96 to push the blank against side 20 of the back gauge. Valve 42 is then activated to create a vacuum to hold the pusher block which in turn holds the blank for forming. FIG. 4 shows the blank breaking away from side 20 of the back gauge and side 98 of the pusher block while it is being formed by the dies. Thus, even though the blank is too narrow to extend far enough to be held directly by the suction in the holding member, it is held indirectly by the suc- .tion through use of a pusher block. Two or more holding member assemblies may be mounted to the forming machine to permit holding a long or an odd shape part.

I claim:

1. A holder of parts to permit forming of the parts in a machine with an operators hands removed from the vicinity of the forming dies comprising: a flat surfaced holding member having a plurality of openings through the surface that communicate through the member to a vacuum source, means for adjustably positioning the holding member with the flap side up adjacent the stationary dies of the machine, and means for controlling vacuum to the holding member.

2. A holder of parts as in claim 1 further comprising: means for holding a narrow part against a back gauge while forming the part, said means holding the part in a manner to allow breaking away of the part while it is being formed by the dies.

3. A holder of parts to permit forming of the parts in a machine with an operators hands removed from the vicinity of the forming dies comprising: a flat surfaced holding member having at least one elongated recess in the flat surface; a passage in the holding member in communication with the recess; means for communication of the passage to a vacuum system; and means for adjustably positioning the holding member, with flat surface up, in proximity to the stationary die in the forming machine to vacuum hold a part to be worked.

4. A holder of parts as in claim 3 further comprising means for holding a narrow part against a back gauge for forming of the part, said means holding the part in a manner to allow breaking away of the part while it is being formed by the dies.

5. A holder of parts as in claim 3 further comprising means for adjusting the position of the holding member, and means for selectively blocking off the vacuum system from the holding member.

6. A holder of parts as in claim 5 with the recess further comprising a series of interconnected recesses some of which extend adjacent and parallel to the forming dies and others extend normal thereto.

7. A holder of parts as in claim 6 further comprising a covering plate shaped to match the flat surface of the holding member and having a plurality of holes registered to communicate with the recesses.

8. A holder of parts as in claim 6 wherein the holding member is T-shaped, the head of the T is adjacent the dies and at least some of the recesses are located athwart the head of the T.

9. A holder of small parts to be formed with an operators hands removed from the vicinity of the working dies comprising: a T-shaped holding member having a flat surface, a series of interconnecting grooves extending longitudinally and transversely on the flat surface, a passage inside the holding member in communication with the grooves, adjustable means for positioning the holding member with the flat side up and the head of the T adjacent to a stationary die of a forming machine, means for communicating between the passage and a vacuum source, and valve means to control the vacuum in the grooves to hold or to release a part to be formed.

10. A holder of small parts as in claim 9 further comprising a matching plate covering the flat surface of the holding member and having a plurality of holes located to communicate with the grooves.

11. A holder of small parts as in claim 10 further comprising: means for holding a part against a back gauge, said part being too small to extend from a back gauge and cover a hole in the matching plate, and said means holding the part in a manner to allow breaking away of the part while it is being formed by the dies.

12. A method of holding a small part adjacent working dies of a forming machine without an operators hands being in the vicinity of the dies, the steps comprising: selecting a holding member with a flat surface having a series of interconnecting recesses which communicate with a passage through the holding member, adjustably mounting the holding member with flat surface up adjacent the working dies of the forming machine, utilizing a line extending from a source of a vacuum to the passage in the holding member, and operating a valve located in the vacuum line to impart a suction at the holding member to vacuum hold a part during the working cycle of the dies and to permit shutting off the vacuum to release the part as desired.

13. A method of holding a part as in claim 12, with the further step of placing a plate over the flat surface of the holding member and having a plurality of holes located to communicate with the recesses in the member.

14. A method of holding a part as in claim 12, with the further step of holding a narrow work piece against a back gauge with a structural section vacuum held by the holding member in a manner to allow breaking away of the part while it is being formed by the dies.

15. A holder of a part to be formed with an operators hands removed from the vicinity of a forming machine s working dies comprising: a flat surfaced holding member having a series of interconnecting recesses on the flat surface; adjustable means for positioning the holding member with flat side up adjacent to a stationary die of a forming machine; a passage in the holding member in communication with the recesses; and means for communication of the passage to a vacuum system to permit vacuum holding of a blank against the holding member during the interval when the dies are brought together, said vacuum of an intensity to permit letting go of the blank in response to forming action of the dies.

16. A holder of parts to be formed as in claim 15 comprising a covering plate shaped to match the flat surface of the holding member and having a plurality of holes registered to communicate with the recesses.

17. A holder of a part to be formed with an operators hands removed from the vicinity of a forming machines working dies comprising: a flat surfaced holding member having a series of interconnecting recesses on the flat surface; adjustable means for positioning the holding member with flat side up adjacent to a stationary die of a forming machine; a passage in the holding member in communication with the recesses; means for communication of the passage to a vacuum system; and a pusher block, vacuum held against the holding member, to push a blank against a back gauge to hold the blank for forming in a manner to permit letting go of the blank in response to the forming action of the dies. 

1. A holder of parts to permit forming of the parts in a machine with an operator''s hands removed from the vicinity of the forming dies comprising: a flat surfaced holding member having a plurality of openings through the surface that communicate through the member to a vacuum source, means for adjustably positioning the holding mEmber with the flap side up adjacent the stationary dies of the machine, and means for controlling vacuum to the holding member.
 2. A holder of parts as in claim 1 further comprising: means for holding a narrow part against a back gauge while forming the part, said means holding the part in a manner to allow breaking away of the part while it is being formed by the dies.
 3. A holder of parts to permit forming of the parts in a machine with an operator''s hands removed from the vicinity of the forming dies comprising: a flat surfaced holding member having at least one elongated recess in the flat surface; a passage in the holding member in communication with the recess; means for communication of the passage to a vacuum system; and means for adjustably positioning the holding member, with flat surface up, in proximity to the stationary die in the forming machine to vacuum hold a part to be worked.
 4. A holder of parts as in claim 3 further comprising means for holding a narrow part against a back gauge for forming of the part, said means holding the part in a manner to allow breaking away of the part while it is being formed by the dies.
 5. A holder of parts as in claim 3 further comprising means for adjusting the position of the holding member, and means for selectively blocking off the vacuum system from the holding member.
 6. A holder of parts as in claim 5 with the recess further comprising a series of interconnected recesses some of which extend adjacent and parallel to the forming dies and others extend normal thereto.
 7. A holder of parts as in claim 6 further comprising a covering plate shaped to match the flat surface of the holding member and having a plurality of holes registered to communicate with the recesses.
 8. A holder of parts as in claim 6 wherein the holding member is T-shaped, the head of the T is adjacent the dies and at least some of the recesses are located athwart the head of the T.
 9. A holder of small parts to be formed with an operator''s hands removed from the vicinity of the working dies comprising: a T-shaped holding member having a flat surface, a series of interconnecting grooves extending longitudinally and transversely on the flat surface, a passage inside the holding member in communication with the grooves, adjustable means for positioning the holding member with the flat side up and the head of the T adjacent to a stationary die of a forming machine, means for communicating between the passage and a vacuum source, and valve means to control the vacuum in the grooves to hold or to release a part to be formed.
 10. A holder of small parts as in claim 9 further comprising a matching plate covering the flat surface of the holding member and having a plurality of holes located to communicate with the grooves.
 11. A holder of small parts as in claim 10 further comprising: means for holding a part against a back gauge, said part being too small to extend from a back gauge and cover a hole in the matching plate, and said means holding the part in a manner to allow breaking away of the part while it is being formed by the dies.
 12. A method of holding a small part adjacent working dies of a forming machine without an operator''s hands being in the vicinity of the dies, the steps comprising: selecting a holding member with a flat surface having a series of interconnecting recesses which communicate with a passage through the holding member, adjustably mounting the holding member with flat surface up adjacent the working dies of the forming machine, utilizing a line extending from a source of a vacuum to the passage in the holding member, and operating a valve located in the vacuum line to impart a suction at the holding member to vacuum hold a part during the working cycle of the dies and to permit shutting off the vacuum to release the part as desired.
 13. A method of holding a part as in claim 12, with the further step of placing a plate over the flat surface of the holding member and haviNg a plurality of holes located to communicate with the recesses in the member.
 14. A method of holding a part as in claim 12, with the further step of holding a narrow work piece against a back gauge with a structural section vacuum held by the holding member in a manner to allow breaking away of the part while it is being formed by the dies.
 15. A holder of a part to be formed with an operator''s hands removed from the vicinity of a forming machine''s working dies comprising: a flat surfaced holding member having a series of interconnecting recesses on the flat surface; adjustable means for positioning the holding member with flat side up adjacent to a stationary die of a forming machine; a passage in the holding member in communication with the recesses; and means for communication of the passage to a vacuum system to permit vacuum holding of a blank against the holding member during the interval when the dies are brought together, said vacuum of an intensity to permit letting go of the blank in response to forming action of the dies.
 16. A holder of parts to be formed as in claim 15 comprising a covering plate shaped to match the flat surface of the holding member and having a plurality of holes registered to communicate with the recesses.
 17. A holder of a part to be formed with an operator''s hands removed from the vicinity of a forming machine''s working dies comprising: a flat surfaced holding member having a series of interconnecting recesses on the flat surface; adjustable means for positioning the holding member with flat side up adjacent to a stationary die of a forming machine; a passage in the holding member in communication with the recesses; means for communication of the passage to a vacuum system; and a pusher block, vacuum held against the holding member, to push a blank against a back gauge to hold the blank for forming in a manner to permit letting go of the blank in response to the forming action of the dies. 